October 23, 2008

Sage Roasted Chicken

Directions:Preheat oven to 325. Meanwhile, rinse the (empty) chicken off with cold water. Place on the rack and position in the roasting pan. Rub the chicken with a tablespoon of oil. Arrange the leaves on the breast and sprinkle liberally with Provençal salt.

Roast at 325 for about 2 hours, then turn the heat up to 350 and cook an additional 30-45 minutes or until the juices run clear and the leg easily moves when wiggled. The internal temperature should be between 160 and 180. Allow to sit for about 10 minutes before carving.

*Provençal salt is a mixture of coarse sea salt and Herbes de Provence.

My thoughts:

It is just easing into chicken roasting weather and I went totally overboard and made a roasted chicken with stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, sauerkraut and roasted butternut squash all on a random Thursday evening. Now you don't have to go that far but I suggest you carve some time out to make this chicken.

I've found that sprinkling a chicken with coarse salt and spices is my favorite way to insure a juicy bird with crisp burnished gold skin. As an added bonus the sage and flavored salt seep into the meat leaving it juicy and herbal without taking away from the chicken's natural flavor. This technique incredibly simple but the results are amazing. Honestly, this was the best roasted chicken I think I've ever had, much less made.

Ah yes...it looks like I just found our Friday night dinner for this week! Friday is our "stay in and cook" night. Actually, now that we have a 3 month old baby...most nights are "stay in and cook" nights :)

What a coincidence - I literally made almost this exact chicken last week for dinner except that I just used bone in chicken breasts. I cooked mine at 425 for 15 min and then reduced the heat to 350, but I'll have to try this lower heat method.

Oh, this looks and sounds wonderful. We probably won't be able to see either of our families for the holidays this year, but of course a special meal in honour of the holidays seems necessary to me....This chicken will be the perfect centerpiece! Thank you!

So I didn't have these precise seasonings handy but I wanted to try your timing, so I just used sea salt and a mixed herbs mixture, but without sage. I am blown away! The skin is the crispest I have ever had and the meat is falling off the bone. Thank you Rachel! You just turned roast chicken into a staple for my house.